This is the place to come to learn about Avery style needle cases.

Lap Desk - Oval Cartouche

Patent/design registration not found

Lap Desk 
Lap Desk Oval Floral
Needle Case

Design Details

Needle Case Type:

Figural

Patent/Registered to:

Unknown

Patent/Design Representation #:

Unknown

Patent/Design Registration Date:

Unknown

Location of Patent/Design Registration:

Unknown

Reference #:

Unknown

Dimensions:

5.6 x 5.8 x 3.6

Material:

Brass

Name Variations:

a) W. Avery & Son - Redditch

Other Variations:

a) Lap Desk - Diamond Jubilee
b) Lap Desk - Royal Bust Portraits

Additional Photographs

Top view and side view.

Back view and bottom stamped with the Avery name.

Close up of the Avery name on the bottom and interior view.

Facts

Lap Desk facts

A lap desk is a portable desk-like surface placed on a person’s lap to make it easier to write and review information when a regular desk is not available.  Early lap desks contained a storage area to carry papers, ink, quills and other supplies needed for writing.  Most were made of heavy wood and had sloping lids to provide the writer with a convenient surface upon which to write.  They were used most often by travelers who needed a convenient way to write or conduct business while being transported from one place to other.  In many ways these early lap desks were like the modern brief case.

Lap Desk facts

History

Lap Desk misc

Although portable boxes for writing supplies have been around for centuries, it wasn’t until the late 18th century that the Napoleonic wars and the popularity of traveling lead to an increase in writing.  Officers in the army needed a writing box in order to handle army business as well as to write home and well-to-do young men who embarked on the “Grand Tour” of Europe, a rite of passage, needed someplace to jot down notes to document their adventures and what they learned.  During the Victorian period public education became more common and an educated middle class learned to write as well.  The introduction of the penny postage stamp and less expensive train travel provided the middle class with more opportunities to write letters, notes and post cards necessitating a sloping surface lap desk like the ones here.

Lap Desk misc

Miscellaneous

Lap Desk misc

Today some believe the lap desk has been replaced by the laptop computer where information is much better organized.  However, upon closer examination, many people still need a semi-hard surface to set their computers on as well as something to place between their laps and the warm bottoms of some PCs.  Modern lightweight lap desks, often with cushioned bottoms or legs to allow ventilation, were created to solve this problem.

Lap Desk misc